Tag Archives: Hicks

The Yanks have a problem. Should they play in the wild card game, what pitcher starts?

Before last night’s game, CC Sabathia was placed on the DL, and once and now again Yankee George Kontos was brought up from the minors for the time being (until a starter, Chance Adams? is needed to fill CC’s spot). Also, Luke Voit was sent down and Ronald Torreyes brought back up.

So there is the issue with CC.

And now the issue with Luis Severino. Severino gave up a HR to the first batter of the game, and gave up another run before getting out of the first inning. 2-0 Mets before the Yanks came to bat.

Severino is still leading the majors in wins (15) but since July 1 is 2-4 with a 7.31 ERA. He is not trending as you would like heading down the stretch.

Whether it is tipping pitches or a mechanical issue, he has to be straightened out.

The Yanks tied the game in the third when Romine singled and Gardner walked. Stanton hit into a force play but and error on the play enabled Romine to score and Stanton to reach second. Hicks singled to tie the game.

But Severino gave up a two-run HR to an old Yankees’ nemesis, Jose Bautista, in the top of the fourth that put the Mets up 4-2.

The Yanks cut it to 4-3 in the fifth when Gardner doubled and Didi singled him home.

A.J. Cole was awful. He gave up a HR to ex-Yankee Todd Frazier in the sixth, and back-to-back HRs to Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto in the seventh. 7-3 Mets.

Miguel Andujar hit a two-run HR (18) in the bottom of the eighth for the Yanks to cut it to 7-5, but Zach Britton’s struggles continued (aided by a Gleyber Torres’ error) as the Mets got an insurance run in the top of the ninth, 8-5 Mets, the final score.

The Yanks have to get CC healthy, and get Severino and Britton on track. They also need Judge and Sanchez to get healthy, and Gleyber Torres (down to .261) to get out of his slump.

Otherwise, if they make the postseason, it could not be for long.

Meanwhile, they fall to 74-44, and 10 back of Boston. They are 3 1/2 up on Oakland for the top wild card seed.

Luis Severino, shaky in his last few outings, started off shaky again, giving up two runs in the first inning before settling in for his career high 15th win of the season.

Gleyber Torres walked to lead off the second. After Andujar struck out, Neil Walker singled. Austin Romine singled in Torres. Shane Robinson singled in Walker to tie the game at two. Brett Gardner was hit by a pitch. Stanton’s 27th HR, an opposite field grand slam that just curled around the foul pole, made it 6-2 Yanks.

In the fifth, Aaron Hicks hit his 19th HR of the season to make it 7-2.

Severino gave up a HR in the bottom of the fifth to cut it to 7-3 but that was the end of the scoring.

The Yanks stay 9 back of Boston. They are 4 up on Oakland for that top wild card spot.

The Yanks scored two in the fourth when with one out, Stanton walked and Didi doubled. Hicks singled in one run, Torres singled in another. Bird was robbed of a 3-run HR.

In the fifth, the Yanks upped the lead to 4-0 when with one out, Higashioka singled. Gardner singled Higashioka to third, and a WP moved both runners up, Higashioka scoring. With two out, Didi Gregorius singled in Gardner.

A couple of homers in the eighth finished the scoring. Gleyber Torres hit a solo HR (18) and a few batters later, Neil Walker hit a 2-run HR (4) for the final score of 7-0.

Before the game, the Yanks put J.A. Happ on the DL with foot, hand and mouth disease and brought up Luis Cessa (who was supposed to start for Happ Saturday. After this game, who knows who starts Saturday?). Luke Voit came up and Tyler Wade went down.

It also was announced (finally!) that Sonny Gray is out of the rotation and that Lance Lynn will take his place.

The game started well for the Yanks as Didi Gregorius hit the first of his two HR, a 3-run shot, in the first inning.

In the top of the second, Aaron Hicks homered (18) to make it 4-0 Yanks.

Then the roof fell in as the Yankees’ pitching was just atrocious, especially Jonathan Holder. Steve Pearce hit 3 HR for Boston as they won 15-7.

Years ago, I wrote that the Yanks should bring up Pearce from the minors, where he was doing pretty well for SWB. At that time, Pierce had been a bit player for the Pirates for a few years. One sportswriter (which I should but won’t name) argued against it, and in doing so, was e-mailing me in the middle of a game he was covering. A close game. He was more concerned about me and my comments that the Yanks should bring up Pearce and in arguing against it, than in covering the game and doing his job.Talk about thin-skinned. He basically had a low opinion of Pearce’s abilities and pooh-poohed me. This was in 2012.

Pearce went on to different teams and has bounced around a little since then, but he did hit 21 HR as a platoon player for the 2014 Orioles. His adjusted OPS from 2014 to today is 125. Pretty damned good for a platoon player.

Yes, from 2007-2012, when I had this confrontation with this guy, Pearce’s OPS+ was 82. But from 2013 to today, it’s 124. I guess I have had the last laugh for a while over that arrogant dude.

Anyway, back to the game. CC Sabathia gave up a run in the second, another in the third, and struggled all three innings he pitched, throwing 77 pitches in those three innings.

So in comes Holder and the roof fell in on the Yanks. Holder got no one out, giving up 7 runs in Boston’s 8-run inning, and watched his ERA go from 2.01 to 3.50.

Cessa, who was supposed to start in place of Happ on Saturday, had to come in in relief later, and gave up 5 runs himself. Now who starts Saturday, who knows.

Didi hit his second HR of the game (20) to make it 10-5 in the fifth, but Boston got one in the fifth and three in the sixth. 14-5.

Stanton homered (25) in the seventh, 14-6, but Boston scored in the eighth.

J.A. Happ pitched six strong innings and won his Yankees’ debut as the Yanks beat KC 6-3 on Sunday afternoon. Monday is an off day.

Before the game the Yanks sent Caleb Frare, who spent most of the year at AA Trenton, to the White Sox for $1.5MM in international bonus $$$. They also received $1MM of that in the Shreve/Gallegos deal with St. Louis.

The Yanks jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Didi walked and Hicks homered (17) off the foul screen.

In the fourth, Hicks doubled and scored on an Andujar single, 3-0.

To the fifth, and Gardner and Stanton singled to lead off the inning. A groundout by Didi moved both runners up. Hicks walked to load the bases and a groundout by Torres made it 4-0. Bird singled to make it 5-0.

The Yanks gave up 3 HR in the game, but thank goodness, all were solo shots. Happ gave up one to Salvador Perez (he killed the Yanks this weekend) to make it 5-1 Yanks.

The Yanks got one back in the bottom of the sixth. Walker was HBP and Romine doubled. Stanton got the run in with a SF.

Green gave up a HR in the seventh and Robertson (I’m concerned about them, both Green and Robertson, lately) gave up one in the eighth. Final, 6-3 Yanks.

Boston won again so the Yanks couldn’t pick up any ground. Still 5 1/2 out.